‘We are always looking for new oil but why
not use the oil we have already got? So, let’s get

Philip Ringrose
EAGE president
2014-2015

E

AGE president Philip Ringrose created a
sense of camaraderie and shared purpose
with the audience during his talk on ‘Integrated Reservoir Geoscience: Turning Dreams
into Reality’ at an industry panel during last
December’s International Petroleum Technology
Conference (IPTC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ringrose offered examples of geological
knowledge and geophysical methods generating
significant impact on the oil and gas industry.
He explained his views on geoscience innovation: ‘The whole point is to highlight different geoscience technologies. Multi-scale reservoir modelling is something I’m very passionate about,
although my current focus is on carbon capture
and storage. Multi-scale reservoir modelling from
micro to macro scales, like all technology, is really
moving fast. These changes will enable us to utilize our resources much, much better.

higher recovery factors. To extract the oil to the
best of our ability we have achieved a lot with
seismic imaging and well technology, but don’t
forget about advanced reservoir modelling technology too. I think it’s amazing that you can use
modelling over a huge range of scales, from the
rock pores at the millimetre-scale, to understand
where the fuels are, and then take it up to the
next scale. By looking at “coffee-table size”
models of rocks using multi-million cell models,

The whole point
is to highlight different
geoscience
technologies.
you can work out how the rock affects the distribution of gas and oil. Then you can take that up
to the field scale, and work out how and where
you can drill wells in order to get a very high recovery factor.’
Taking a broad look at innovation in the geosciences, Ringrose used illustrations from enhanced oil recovery (where recovery factors have
reached 70%), from frontier exploration (using
the latest EM prospecting methods combined
with seismic) and the latest development in lowcarbon fuels (CCS). He highlighted how reservoir
geoscience can really make a difference to push
up oil recovery factors and reduce risks in HC exploration.
He also alluded to how professional societies
can evolve to meet the changing needs of memRead more on p. 2 ➤

W

ho would be savvy enough to
win an all expenses-paid trip to
EAGE’s Annual Event in Madrid?
That’s what we wanted to find out at the
Geo-Quiz for Asia Pacific region, held during
the major ASEG-PESA event in Perth, Western Australia in February
Some 60 student warriors turned out, all
determined to harness their brain power
and finger reflexes to win the coveted honour of representing Australia in the Global
Read more on p. 2 ➤

What's inside
Professor’s star turn

3

KL event to energise Asia

6

Fastrack features Pertamina
planner

7

Industry News
And more …

10

EAGE UPDATE

EAGE president holds the floor at IPTC
Continued from p. 1

bers globally: ‘We want to provide information
at the click of a mouse and the key thing about
professional societies is the question of how you
choose what is good and bad out there. I think
professional societies add a key quality control.
We are independent, we are professional and we
don’t have a commercial bias. I think the next
generation will want information really fast and
if people know that the associations can provide
good information, they will stay with us.’
The industry session also included talks by
presidents of three other societies - Randi Martinsen of American Association of Petroleum Ge-

ologists (AAPG); Professor Christopher Liner of
the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG);
and Jeff Spath of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). They also shared their perspectives
on what innovative technologies and industry
trends are shaping the future of the energy
landscape.
The session was moderated by Pinar Yilmaz
of ExxonMobil Exploration Co. All in all, the innovative panel session involving the big four
societies was an excellent meeting of minds,
bringing together top geoscientists and scholars
from academia and industry. Hopefully IPTC will
schedule this engaging industry session again at
Doha, Qatar in 2015.

mittee and charismatic quizmaster succeeded in
rousing the warrior spirit of the teams.
After a tough battle decided by a last buzzer-beating question, the team from University
of Western Australia was declared the winners. The team of Lee Tasker, Benjamin Witten and Aaron Girard took home the special
travel grants sponsored by EAGE to attend the
77th EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Madrid.
Special thanks go to Adrian Noetzli, geophysicist for GPX Surveys and local volunteers from
ASEG for their invaluable support. The venue
and student social events were sponsored by
ASEG.
After the competition we asked the winners
about their “quiz-battle” experiences:
How did you hear about the EAGE
Geo-Quiz?
Lee: I heard about the Geo-Quiz from the ASEGPESA advertisement.
How did you form such a great winning
team together?
Aaron: We worked in the same group together
and we are actually representing the UWA student chapter together.
How did you prepare and train for the
Geo-Quiz?
Ben: The training is basically a lifetime of training. Geoscience classes and studying geophysics

were the key, but we just tried to stay relaxed
and keep our minds limber.
Lee: Basically, we tried to get into a relaxed
mode and enjoy ourselves. That is exactly what
we did. Believe it or not, we turned up trumps!
What is your advice for future teams who
want to take part in the Geo-Quiz?
Benjamin: If you are interested in geoscience,
just come and participate. I think all the teams
enjoyed themselves.
Aaron: My advice for any future team is ‘you
know a lot more than you think you know’.
There will always be some questions you are going to know and some questions you are going
to learn from.
Lee: Everything you’ve ever done in earth science can be applicable to the domain. Even if
you are not a geologist or a hydrocarbon person,
it doesn’t matter. Just believe in yourself and
everything will work out for this quiz.
Do you think you stand a chance to win the
Global Geo-Quiz in Spain?
Lee: We have come this far. Why not?
Aaron: I think it’s a great opportunity to represent Australia. I think we will do equally as well
if we prepare in advance. My motto is ‘just relax
and think as little as possible’.
Ben: We will represent UWA and Australia well.
We feel like we are the best team and we are
going to Madrid to win it all.

EAGE NEWSLETTER ASIA PACIFIC

ISSUE-1 2015

EAGE UPDATE

Professor on the right wavelength with
education tour

P

rof Tariq Alkhalifah of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is becoming something of a star in the Asia-Pacific
geoscience community by sharing his special research interest in seismic imaging and velocity model building.
With his expertise he had already inspired thousands of students in the
past to pave their career in the geoscience world. As a result his one day
course for EAGE Education Tour (EET) 10 on full waveform inversion was
eagerly anticipated in the region.
Subtitled ‘Where are the Anisotropic Parameters hiding?’, Prof Alkhalifah
has visited three locations in Southeast Asia and has three venues upcoming in China.
First stop of the tour was Kuala Lumpur where the course was held in
the Hotel Impiana in collaboration with Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS).
The course was well attended with 55 participants from PETRONAS, PGS,
Schlumberger, Shell, Sapura Kencana, INPEX, Kebabangan Petroleum and
CGG. Then it was on to Jakarta where the course was hosted by Schlumberger Geosolutions at Hotel Mulia and attended by 30 participants from
Schlumberger Geosolutions, CGG and PT Pertamina. Then Prof Alkhalifah
flew to Perth to present in Perth, Western Australia in conjunction with
ASEG-PESA (24th International Geophysical Conference & Exhibition). Once

Rapt audience for Prof Alkhalifah’s presentation in Kuala Lumpur.

again there was a good attendance with 53 participants coming from
Chevron, Shell, PGS, CGG,Velseis and government organizations. EAGE
would like to thank all the hosts for making it possible to bring the course
to the region.
If you are interested in participating or hosting this course at
your location, please get in contact with our Education Department
at education@eage.org or visit the learning geoscience website at
www.learniggesocience.org.

EAGE increases its presence in Australia

D

espite the oil price drop, the ASEG-PESA
Conference and Exhibition (16-18 February) in Perth attracted a record attendance of more than 1200 participants. At the

Marie Taylor blessing the event during a unique
‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony

opening proceedings they were greeted with a
unique ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony, led by
Marie Taylor representing the local indigenous
tribe. She blessed the event and welcomed the
participants from around the world to their ‘land
of plenty’.
EAGE was represented by Dr Valentina Socco,
board member and chairman, Near Surface Division, and staff members Gerard Wieggerink and
Rachel Moo from the EAGE Asia Pacific office.
Feedback from participants confirmed the
status of this event being the most important
geoscience conference in Australia and our congratulations go out to the local organizing committee.
This year, EAGE and the local organizing committee worked more closely together. As a result,
two EAGE training courses were scheduled as a
part of the programme. Both ‘Explorational Rock
Physics and Seismic Reservoir Prediction (Per Avseth and Tor Arne Johansen) and EET10 on ‘Full
Waveform Inversion’ (Tariq Alkhalifah) received
an excellent reception from participants coming
from as far as Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South
Korea, China and, of course, Australia.

One of the highlights of the event was the
EAGE Student Geo-Quiz which took place for a
first time in Australia and created a lot of excitement (see separate report). Also many students,
geologists, researchers and geophysicists from
the mining and petroleum industries as well as
governmental agencies made their way to the
EAGE booth on the exhibition floor picking up
free copies of our journals, signing up as new
members and buying our latest books. In this
way, EAGE has significantly increased its footprint in Australia and we are already looking forward to the next ASEG-PESA event in Adelaide
in August 2016.

3

EAGE UPDATE

Female perspective on working in Indian oil industry
Nancy Jain graduated BSc in physics from Delhi University (Hindu College) along with a diploma in Japanese language from the Faculty
of East Asian Studies), followed by an MSc in geophysics at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. She currently works as a
geophysicist (executive officer) in GEOPIC, ONGC, India. Here she tells us a little about her career so far.
What does your job at ONGC involve?
My present work includes the interpretation
of seismic data, i.e., beginning with loading of
data (seismic and well), QC of data, horizon and
fault mapping, maps generation (time structure,
isopach), all of which comprehensively aids in
the generation process for potentially prolific
prospects. In short, I am working as a seismic interpreter. In the future, I expect to be engaged in
advance seismic interpretation.
Why did you decide on a career in the oil
industry?
Immediately after the completion of my graduation studies, I opted for the oil industry rather
than building a career in core physics. I felt that
the hydrocarbon exploration field would be
more challenging as it would provide exposure
to the corporate world along with a researchoriented environment.
What have been the high and low points in
your career so far?
The highest point in my career was on 29 February 21012 – ‘Leap Day’ − being chosen for a
job with ONGC through the IIT- KGP on-campus
placement process. I felt liberated as well as elat-

ed on that day. Regarding a low point, it hasn’t
happened so far and I won’t let it ever happen!
Is Indian oil industry welcoming to women?
Certainly, yes. India’s oil Industry has a plethora
of job opportunities for women, especially in
today’s challenging scenario where women’s
success ratio has set a mark. The multi-tasking
characteristic of women is definitely a plus point.
Is there more that could be done to encourage women into the business?
I strongly feel that the awareness programmes
focusing on women’s strength and calibre will
help and ensure they deliver more than 100%
performance.
What role would you like to see EAGE play
in the geoscience community in India?
EAGE can absolutely ameliorate the position
of women in the oil industry by highlighting
women’s accomplishments in the light of the
adversities they face, especially in Indian society,
through their publication resource and by organizing events dedicated to them. I’m looking forward to the expansion of EAGE’s wings in India’s
oil industry as well as in academia.

Where do you hope your career will lead in
the future?
I am hoping for a bright and successful future
as a proficient geoscientist in the oil Industry
with a balanced life. I’m sure that one day with
the expertise that I have gained, I’ll be able to
make a full contribution to meeting our energy
needs, working especially in the unconventional
reserves scenario.
What advice would you give young professionals seeking a successful career in the oil
industry?
Just one piece of advice: ‘Be hungry’, meaning
the more you are inquisitive, the more you learn,
and the more you learn, the more you are able to
reach your goal. As far as women are concerned
it is vital that you build your own identity and be
independent!

Nancy Jain:
accepted the
challenge of
an oil industry
career.

So much on offer at the Madrid Annual Meeting

E

arly registration for our big 2015 event,
77th EAGE Annual and Exhibition 2015
including SPE Europec, ends in midMarch, so this is the perfect time to start thinking about your attendance. The Technical Programme is also due to be announced soon, just
another reason for booking now.
This year’s theme of ‘Earth Science for Energy
and Environment’ will explore the vital role that
geoscientists have to play in securing a sustainable future for the planet. The programme for
Madrid 2015 on 1-4 June 2015 includes a conference, the technical exhibition workshops,
short courses, and field trips.
The conference will comprise 14 parallel
oral sessions, complemented with eight regu-

4

lar poster sessions and two student poster
sessions. For the first time in EAGE history, all
poster presentations will be available digitally,
allowing for more interactivity. All presentations
will be clustered in the same area, allowing for
a smooth transfer between sessions and presentations.
The exhibition opens with the icebreaker reception, where you will have the opportunity to
taste local products. The exhibition will be the
meeting place for delegates, where breakfast,
coffees and afternoon drinks will be served.
More than 350 companies from all around the
world will present their equipment and services
and cover more than 9000 m2 of net exhibition space. You will find international oil com-

panies, national oil companies, energy industry
consultants, software vendors, service companies, equipment suppliers, research institutes,
licensing agencies and governmental bodies.
Visit the special interest areas, including the
Consultancy area, Job Centre, Learning Geoscience area and University area.
On Sunday 31 May, Monday 1 June and Friday 5 June a total of 15 workshops are being organized. Stay tuned, register now and look out
for further updates on the website. We want
the 77th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2015
to be the best yet. To learn more about the exhibition, conference programme and sponsor opportunities, please visit the EAGE Madrid 2015
website www.eage.org/event/madrid-2015.

he 8th International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) came
close to a record-breaking attendance of 10,318 industry professionals from 68 countries. The event held from 10–12 December 2014 at
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre drew speakers from the highest echelons
of government, operators, service providers, advisory and research firms,
and academia. In addition, 97 undergraduates took part in Education Week
and 87 high school students joined the Education Days programme.
Under the theme ‘Innovation and Collaboration; Keys to Affordable Energy’, the event, hosted by PETRONAS and co-hosted by Shell and Schlumberger, featured a ministerial session, high-level plenary and panel sessions,
a comprehensive multi-disciplinary technical programme, exhibition, young
professionals workshop and various educational activities.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, YB Senator Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid
Omar, said: ‘The theme for IPTC 2014 could actually hold the key to the way
forward. Innovation and collaboration are two key elements of human ingenuity that would unlock the vast horizon of the energy industry and be the
answer to affordable energy’.
At the Executive Plenary Session, participants heard from Dato’ Wee Yiaw Hin
of PETRONAS and senior executives from CGG, PETRONAS, Royal Dutch Shell,
SapuraKencana Petroleum and Schlumberger on how strong leadership and a
collaborative philosophy can nurture commercial and technological creativity
for the industry to deliver more affordable projects safely, quickly and efficiently.
Technology leaders also spoke on the emerging trends in technology development, the process by which new technology comes into use and the
role of academia, start-ups and venture capital in this process. IPTC’s four
sponsoring societies – AAPG, EAGE, SEG and SPE – also came together on
the final day to offer their perspectives on innovative technologies.
RasGas Company won the Excellence in Project Integration Award, for its
RasGas Expansion Phase 2 (RGX2) Project.
The future of the global oil and gas industry was further recognised with
a strong educational strand running throughout the event. From Education
Days for high-school students, through Education Week activities aimed at
geoscience and engineering undergraduates, to the Young Professionals
Workshop, the comprehensive agenda engaged those looking to start or
further their careers in the oil and gas industry.
Bringing proceedings to a close, Adif Zulkifli, vice president, Malaysia
Petroleum Management, PETRONAS and 8th IPTC Conference programme

EAGE NEWSLETTER ASIA PACIFIC

ISSUE-1 2015

committee co-chairman acknowledged all participants, students, delegates,
authors and exhibitors for making IPTC an outstanding success.
The baton now passes to Qatar Petroleum (host) and Shell (co-host) for
the 9th International Petroleum Technology Conference, which will take
place in Doha, Qatar from 6–9 December 2015.

Registration
Open: Early August 2015
Visit www.segj.org/is/12th/
for more information!
Society of Exploration Geophysicists of Japan (SEGJ)

5

EAGE UPDATE

KL’s major event to focus on
how geoscience can energise Asia!

‘E

nergising Asia through Geoscience Ideas & Solutions’ is the challenging theme of the next Asia Petroleum Geoscience Conference & Exhibition (APGCE) taking place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 12-13 October 2015.
To initiate the discussion, Asia’s premier geoscience conference will be featuring three plenary sessions with keynote addresses from industry specialists.
On Day 1 there will also be a session on ‘Exploration Business Challenges
& Opportunities’ designed to highlight the commercial aspects of exploration
activities. It will be moderated by Emiliana Rice-Oxley, Malaysia exploration
vice president of PETRONAS.
This year APGCE for the first time will be presenting sessions on Malaysian
cores covering different basins, environments, reservoirs and seals in Malaysia. Included will be Luconia Shelf carbonates, shallow-marine and lacustrine
clastics, deep marine core from Sabah, and basement rocks. There will be

five defined sessions, two on Day 1 and three on Day 2. At each session,
an expert will briefly outline the significance of the cores on display and be
available for Q&A. The core session adds an exciting contribution to the 2015
APGCE event as well as an integral part of the conference proceedings.
There will again be a range of field trips and short courses, before the start
and at the end of the conference, ensuring that delegates have plenty of opportunities to participate fully at the main conference.
The three day field trip beginning on Thursday 8 October will cover shallow marine to deepwater clastics in Labuan and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. In
addition, there will be a one and a half day field trip to Kinta Valley, Perak to
study the paleozoic limestone on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October.
This is not to forget that the best and brightest students in Malaysia will
be invited once again to attend the Student Programme with its tailor-made
talks and to compete in the legendary EAGE Geo-Quiz!

World experts gather to discuss
broadband marine seismic data in KL

G

etting to grips with the rapid developments in the use of broadband
marine seismic data is the idea behind an EAGE workshop being held at the
Saujana Hotel, Kula Lumpur on 11-13 May.
The programme for the event ‘Broadband
Marine Seismic Data: Adding value to offshore exploration and production’ is being
prepared under the guidance of a technical committee of some of the world’s top
experts, chaired by Helmut Jakubowicz of
PETRONAS.
Marine broadband seismic data first became available in 2007 and are now accessible through a variety of new acquisition
and processing techniques. The importance
of broadband data has progressed from enhanced resolution and imaging, through to
applications in reservoir characterization,
quantitative interpretation and full-waveform
inversion. Furthermore, broadband acquisition has been applied to nearly every form of
marine survey, including wide-azimuth, richazimuth, coil shooting and 4D data. The pace
of these developments has been very rapid
and the organisers say the time is already ripe
to reassess both the status and potential of
broadband marine seismic technology.

The workshop will benefit from the substantial increase in experience of using broadband data, and will also discuss latest developments in data acquisition, processing and
analysis. The programme will have a strong
emphasis on case histories with the goal of
sharing successful applications of marine
broadband technology, as well as highlighting areas that need further development. It
will also include the latest advances in the application of broadband techniques for seismic
imaging as well as the use of broadband data
for prestack analysis, including reservoir characterization, reservoir monitoring, and inversion. New acquisition technologies for extending seismic bandwidth at both high and
low frequencies will be highlighted as well as
the potential benefits these could provide.
The workshop will be held at the Saujana
Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, a venue that combines comfort and adventure amidst 160
hectares of lush tropical gardens. The hotel
adjoins the two 18-hole championship golf
courses of Saujana Golf & Country Club and
is an idyllic haven for business and pleasure.
Register now and join us in Kuala Lumpur
from 11-13 May 2015, and keep up with latest broadband developments.

EAGE NEWSLETTER ASIA PACIFIC

ISSUE-1 2015

EAGE UPDATE

Work options at a national oil company
In our continuing Fastrack series, Asep
Samsul Arifin, a planning and evaluation
manager at Indonesian state oil company
PT Pertamina tells us about his career so
far. He graduated from Bandung Institute
of Technology majoring in geophysical
engineering. He spent three years as a
seismic data processor and then six years
in seismic interpretation. Today he is an
exploration planner.

What is your current role in
PT Pertamina?
I am exploration planning and evaluation
manager at Pertamina EP (Exploration and
Production).
What does your work involve?
As exploration planner, my responsibilities are
managing exploration assets, selecting and
ranking exploration drilling and seismic survey
candidates. I am also managing exploration
people (include staff development, training,
job assignment and coaching)
Why did you choose a career in the oil
business?
It’s relevant with my background and is also a
good business environment to work in.

Do you consider that professional
societies like EAGE have a role to play?
I am member of EAGE and appreciate its services.
Specifically, how might EAGE help the
geoscience community in Indonesia?
EAGE can contribute to our geoscience community by conducting short courses, joint conventions with Indonesian professional organisations
and also initiating student chapter activities.

Asep Arifin points the way ahead.

Which of PT Pertamina’s operations are
you most interested in?
Managing assets and managing people, both
of which provide challenges for me.
Has the low oil price affected PT Pertamina operations?
Yes, right now Pertamina is revisiting current
programmes and adjusting them to meet the
new business environment.
Does the company do much R&D in your
area of expertise?
We do some R&D to support our operations
and solve particularl problems

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’
time?
I hope to become a director of human resources or some aspect of upstream operations.
Would you recommend a career in the
oil business to young people today?
Of course! At PT Pertamina we offer two career paths – one technical, the other managerial. Young graduates become junior geoscientist or engineers when they join. They
work as interpreters, petrophysicists, wellsite
and operational geologists, operational geophysicists, and also geological modellers. This
junior level will take 3-5 years before they get
promoted to more senior positions depending
on availability. And then at some point they
will follow a technical of managerial path.

Myanmar’s first geoscience
event is coming soon

T

he First Myanmar Geosciences Conference & Exhibition is taking place from
19-20 November 2015 in Yangon, Myanmar. The new venture follows the signing last
year of an MOU between EAGE and sister societies AAPG and Myanmar Geosciences Society
(MGS) for joint organization of the event.
The three societies are now looking forward
to bringing this quality geoscience event to a
rather underexplored country that some refer
to as the ‘hottest hotspot’ for hydrocarbon exploration in Asia, and maybe even the world.
Over the last few years, Myanmar has seen

EAGE NEWSLETTER ASIA PACIFIC

an enormous increase in business activity, including the energy sector, and the interest in
the latest licensing rounds by Myanmar Oil and
Gas Enterprise (MOGE) clearly demonstrate that
many oil and gas companies, big or small, are
very keen to explore the country’s petroleum
basins.
Gerard Wieggerink, manager for EAGE Asia
Pacific, said: ‘Both AAPG and EAGE saw a lack
of a quality, focused geoscience event where
the industry and academic world could come
together and discuss. With the support of the
Myanmar Geoscience Society, we have found

our logical local partner, also enabling AAPG
and ourselves to give back to the local community as per the mission of our two societies’.

7

GEOSCIENCE COMMUNITY
The 39th IPA CONVENTION & EXHIBITION 2015

Society
collaboration
with HAGI in
Indonesia is
in the works

EAGE team meets indonesian counterparts.

E

AGE Asia Pacific has been
discussing collaboration with
Himpunan Ahli Geofisika Indonesia (HAGI), a professional geophysics association based in Jakarta,
Indonesia.
This meeting took place at the
SKKMI Gas headquarters, Mulia
Tower, Jakarta where Gerard Wieggerink (regional manager of EAGE
Asia Pacific) discussed workshop
opportunities and the benefit of
collaboration between associated
societies. Present were Pak Dicky
Rahmadi (president of HAGI), Pak
Madong Hutahaean (Internal general secretary), Pak Roy Baroes (external general secretary), Pak Arif
Gunawan (vice president, external affair) and Pak Gustriyansyah
Mishar (vice president of PIT and
special events).
Area’s of cooperation between
the two societies include joint workshops and publications.

Indonesia industry gathering will
seek to prove country is worthwhile
investment target

C

oming up on 20-22 May is the 39th IPA
Convention and Exhibition − IPA CONVEX 2015. This is the place to catch up
on all the developments and investment opportunities in the Indonesian oil industry.
The message to all stakeholders, which the
event hopes to convey, is that Indonesia’s government is cooperative to work with. Hence the
title of the event - ‘Working Together to Accelerate Solutions in Facing Indonesia’s Energy Crisis’.
Activities will begin with a prestigious forum
discussion, well designed to help all stakeholders
find common grounds of the real issues, involving dialogue with countries, international organizations, and other interested parties. These
efforts will help understand the challenges our
industry will face in the years ahead and bring
suggest solutions at the same time.

• EXHIBITION
Besides showcasing the latest technology and innovations, the theme this year is to support the
Indonesian government to identify, address and
solve the major technical and non-technical challenges within the country’s oil and gas industry
and create a conducive investment climate for all
interested investors.
• SOCIAL FUNCTIONS & GALA DINNER
Organisers call this a golden ticket towards limitless industry networking.

Ming dynasty exploration visit
for Beijing Chapter students

E

AGE Student Chapter of Beijing from
China University of Petroleum (CUPB) led
by Professor Yang Liu organized a field trip
late last year to the Ming dynasty tombs reservoir. The idea was to familiarize themselves with
seismic acquisition and gain better understanding of interpretation of the data.
Despite the cold weather, the students with
equipment from their education institute created a simple data acquisition system on site. As
they wished to respect the cultural heritage of
the Ming Dynasty Tomb and ensure safety, they

Trivia answer
B - 2011
EAGE Student Chapter of Beijing-2015.

8

• TECHNICAL PROGRAM
Program where the industry’s professionals from
all around the world will get the chance to share
their knowledge and experiences through technical presentations and poster sessions.

The CUPB field trip student group.

substituted usage of dynamite and vibrator with
steel plate and hammers to create the vibration.
The students were divided into five teams to carry out specific tasks such as measurement, laying
wires on the ground, setting receivers, doing excitation and controlling the seismic instrument.
The teams switched roles in order to experience
all the challenges of doing seismic acquisition.
The EAGE Student Chapter of Beijing look forward to organizing more geoscience projects for
the student community in the future.

EAGE NEWSLETTER ASIA PACIFIC

ISSUE-1 2015

GEOSCIENCE COMMUNITY

Full Azimuth Seismic Workshop is bringing groundbreaking technology to Mumbai with SPG India

E

AGE has signed an event MOU with the Society of Petroleum Geophysicists (SPG) in India to organize a workshop on ‘Full Azimuth
Seismic’ on 7-8 September 2015 in Mumbai. This is a second collaboration for EAGE with SPG following the success of the workshop on
broadband marine seismic which attracted over 100 participants. SPG and
EAGE hope that working together will foster cross membership and potential publications.
Mohammed Alfaraj, EAGE vice president said: ‘Once again, EAGE and
the Society of Petroleum Geophysicists (SPG) are joining forces to promote
cutting-edge geophysical technologies in the Indian subcontinent. Due to
its inherent ability to capture wider illumination, as well as its effectiveness
in attenuating more complex noise, ‘Full Azimuth Seismic’ has the potential
to unravel more about the subsurface than narrower designs, thus yielding
higher-quality images. As such, the topic is expected to draw audience from
across the whole exploration spectrum, acquisition through the final stage
of interpretation, representing academia, service providers and operators.’
The objective of the workshop is to highlight the role of full azimuth
seismic in more accurate imaging of the sub-surface, improved signal to noise ratio, and improved fracture and reservoir characterisation. The Co-chairpersons of the workshop will be A.K.Dwivedi, the
president of SPG from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and

Rakesh Walia, the managing director of CGG India. For more information or inquiries about the workshop, please visit the event’s website on
www.eage.org or spgindia.org. If you are interested in speaking or sponsorship opportunities, please contact asiapacific@eage.org.

here was a special event to mark the
official entry of EAGE into the Chinese
geoscience community. It was the first
steering committee and administrative board
meeting of EAGE Beijing Chapter held at China University of Petroleum-Beijing (CUP-B). It
was held in conjunction with the First Symposium on Exploration Geophysics.
EAGE president Philip Ringrose sent warm
congratulations to the EAGE Beijing Chapter.
Over 50 members of the new EAGE Beijing
Chapter attended the meeting representing
over 40 top companies.
The meeting was chaired by Dr Lizhi Xiao,
president of EAGE Beijing Chapter and dean
of the College of Geophysics and Information Engineering. Speakers at the meeting
welcoming the EAGE and its activities included Dr Yang Liu (vice president), Dr Bo
Zhao (vice president and director of BGP R&D

EAGE NEWSLETTER ASIA PACIFIC

The first Steering Committee and Administrative Board Meeting at CUP-B.

Centre), Gengyang Tang (secretary general),
Dr Bangliu Zhao (steering committee member and chief engineer, CNPC Exploration
and Production Company), Dr Yonggang Zhang
(associate director, Sinopec Ministry of Science
and Technology), and Xudong Jing (director,
Shell (China) Innovation and R&D Centre).
The First Symposium on Exploration Geophysics was held at CUP-B with attendance
by more than 300 representatives from over
40 educational institutions.

ISSUE-1 2015

Dr Bangliu Zhao, Dr Yonggang Zhang,
Dr Bo Zhao and Dr Xuxuan Li spoke on the
progress of geophysical technology at CNPC,
Sinopec, CNOOC and BGP respectively, while
Dr Lizhi Xiao introduced the disciplinary development of exploration geophysics in CUP-B.
In the second part of the seminar, more
than 20 experts and scholars from Peking University, Tsinghua University, Ocean University
of China and CUP-B participated in an animated discussion on various research topics.

9

GEOSCIENCE COMMUNITY / INDUSTRY NEWS

Non-seismic workshop to
precede SEAPEX event

D

on’t forget that EAGE is organizing its one-day ‘Non-seismic Workshop’ in Singapore on 14 April at the same venue as the SEAPEX
Exploration Conference. Keynote speaker Andrew Lockwood
(Woodside) will focus on the regional exploration role of non-seismic data,
followed by presentations on the practical application of non-seismic methods in petroleum exploration activities.
SEAPEX takes place on 15-17 April at the Fairmont Hotel in Singapore
and is considered one of the leading E&P events in the region for the upstream industry. The event promises oral and poster sessions, a farm-out
forum, an international licensing area, excellent networking and a wealth
of social events (including complimentary food and drink).
There will be 10 oral sessions providing insights and overviews regarding
petroleum E&P in the Asia-Pacific region. Check-out the latest on this event
at www.seapexconf.org.

Kuala Lumpur to welcome
PGS regional HQ

B

y July this year Petroleum Geo-Services will have relocated its regional headquarters for the Asia-Pacific region to Kuala Lumpur
from Singapore.
The move is part of the company’s plan to restructure PGS business
activities in Asia Pacific and will result in consolidation and centralization of resources. The company is looking to improved competitive
advantage and reduced costs, all of which are important in the current
challenging market.
For PGS, KL is already the hub of a vibrant and active domestic Malaysian E&P market. The company’s imaging centre in the city is one of
PGS’ busiest, carrying a significant part of the company’s load for imaging
worldwide. By locating the regional headquarters in KL PGS expects to
get closer interaction with the major international oil companies established in KL as well as PETRONAS.

Australian states divided over impact of fracking

O

il industry hydraulic fracturing has been
given a different reception in two Australian states, Tasmania and Northern

Territory.
The Tasmanian government has decided to extend the ban on fracking for five years to protect
the state’s agricultural industry.
Primary Industries Minister Jeremy Rockliff
said uncertainty around fracking should not put
at risk Tasmania’s reputation for producing fresh,
premium and safe produce.
He said: ‘There is considerable concern around
the potential negative impacts of fracking, particularly within our rural communities and farming families. After consideration, advice and
consultation, it is prudent that we introduce a
five-year moratorium on fracking in Tasmania.’
The state’s Liberal government is said to support exploration for resources such as shale gas

Tasmanian Primary Industries Minister Jeremy
Rockcliff.

and petroleum, without the use of fracking.
In the Northern Territory the government has
tabled a 200-page report into hydraulic fracturing in the state by Dr Allan Hawke. A key finding

stated: ‘The substantive weight of agreed expert
opinion leads the Inquiry to find that there is no
justification whatsoever for the imposition of a
moratorium of hydraulic fracturing in the Northern Territory.’
Among the report’s recommendations was
the need for ‘a robust regulatory regime’ to
manage the environmental risks associated with
hydraulic fracturing.
NT Minister for Mines and Energy Dave Tollner
said the key finding of the Hawke Report was
‘fracking can take place safely in the Northern
Territory, provided the appropriate regulatory
and monitoring regime is in place to allay community concern.’
Tollner has asked Dr Allan Hawke, to stay on
to lead a review of the regulatory regime to engage ‘with the community and key stakeholders
to develop a best practice framework.’

Chinese shale losing its early glitter

C

hina is struggling to find attractive shale gas blocks to offer
in a third auction of concessions, according to a recent Reuters report. Some 400 wells have been drilled and geological
surveys conducted in blocks awarded in China’s first two exploration
auctions, yet there is only one large shale find and few international
investors in the sector.

10

Last year, despite potentially holding the largest technically recoverable shale gas reserves, complex geology, water scarcity and high
drilling costs led Beijing to more than halve its 2020 output target to
30 billion cubic metres (bcm), or 18 percent China’s current demand.
Now, the Ministry of Land and Resources’ (MLR) is said to be expecting
the third auction may be held up.

EAGE NEWSLETTER ASIA PACIFIC

ISSUE-1 2015

INDUSTRY NEWS

Polarcus embarks on Western Australia Roebuck Basin project

P

olarcus has received a commitment from
an undisclosed client for a broadband 3D
marine seismic acquisition project in Australasia. The project is expected to run for approx. two months.
Meantime the company has begun seismic
acquisition on the major Polarcus Capreolus 3D
multi-client project over the Phoenix area that
contains the recent Phoenix South-1 oil discovery within the Roebuck Basin, offshore Western
Australia. The survey is utilizing two high performance 12-streamer Polarcus vessels, Polarcus
Amani and Polarcus Asima, operating in tandem
in order to maximize production.

The Capreolus 3D multi-client project covers 15,000 km2 and has been designed to pro-

Polarcus Asima under steam.

CGG targets Rankin Trend
in multi-client surveya

vide a basin-wide high quality broadband 3D
seismic dataset over and adjacent to the Phoenix South-1 oil discovery announced in 2014.
The basin is one of the few remaining underexplored parts of Australia’s North West Shelf
and considered to have the potential to become
a major new oil province.
The data acquisition phase is estimated at
approx. eight vessel months (four calendar
months), with the resultant data being processed through a pre-stack depth migration
routine by DownUnder GeoSolutions in Perth.
Final data products are expected to be available
within Q2 2016.

Oil price not all bad
news for Asia Pacific
region, report says

T
Davros survey map.

C

GG has started acquiring its multi-client Davros 3D broadband seismic survey in the Northern Carnarvon Basin on
the North West Shelf of Western Australia. Covering in
excess of 11,000 km2, Davros is the largest seismic survey to be
acquired by CGG in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Davros survey is being conducted by the Viking Vision, using
CGG’s BroadSeis and BroadSource broadband seismic solution. The
vessel is equipped with 12 Sercel Sentinel streamers, each 8250 m
in length.
The Davros multi-client solution was designed to best address
the imaging challenges of the Rankin Trend, such as the effects of
the high-velocity carbonate overburden, steeply dipping structures,
fault shadow and structural complexity at depth, all of which is
critical for optimal selection of drilling targets in this area.
Jean-Georges Malcor, CEO, CGG, said: ‘We believe Davros will
reveal exciting new exploration opportunities, given its location adjacent to significant discoveries along the Rankin Trend.‘

EAGE NEWSLETTER ASIA PACIFIC

ISSUE-1 2015

he fall in oil prices has set the tone for a challenging 2015 for
E&P activity across Asia Pacific’s (APAC) entire upstream sector,
according to a report by energy analyst Wood Mackenzie.
However Gero Farruggio, head of APAC Upstream Research, has
some positives to note: ‘Even with challenges, we expect an eventful
year with several positive developments on the political and fiscal
front. These will not only act to soften the blow but renew interest in
upstream exploration in the region.’
The research company notes three themes that will have an impact
on the region’s upstream future.
Firstly, lower oil prices will impact earnings and project approvals.
Oil projects and large integrated LNG projects with high liquids exposure will be under pressure at current oil prices between $50-60 per
barrel. Wood Mackenzie estimates that over US$60 billion (bn) in
2015 cashflow will be affected due to the drop in prices. Sustained
lower prices will also delay project approvals – pre-sanctioned projects with a total investment of over US$100bn are at risk of delays
or cancellation.
Secondly, the fall in global mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity
in late-2014, mirroring the fall in oil prices, will continue as a theme
for companies in 2015. However, if pricing stabilises then activity levels should pick up the second half of the year and asset sales will
increase, resulting in a true buyer’s market.
Thirdly, Wood Mackenzie expects there will be calls for governments to loosen fiscal terms to encourage E&P spending, but in Asia
this will be difficult to get past voters who want to increase, not reduce, the state’s share of overall revenue. Exploration tax breaks are
more likely, as are attempts to reduce regulatory red tape.

11

INDUSTRY NEWS / CALENDAR

Papua New Guinea onshore
and airborne surveys planned

I

nterOil Corp has contracted CGG to carry out
a land seismic and an airborne gravity survey to
assess the hydrocarbon potential of their acreage in Papua New Guinea. CGG’s airborne group
is to conduct a large FALCON airborne gravity gradiometer (AGG) survey to acquire 11,000 line km
of high-resolution data with fixed-wing aircraft

CGG’s UNITE cable-less technology.

and 25,700 line km using rotary-wing aircraft,
better suited to acquiring high-resolution measurements in the rugged terrain.
The 2D conventional land seismic award comprises a 465 km survey in InterOil’s southern
PPL474 and 476 permits (the Murua survey) and
may include additional coverage totalling in excess of 200km to the north over their Triceratops
and Raptor discoveries.
To ensure robust operations in challenging operating conditions CGG will deploy 2100 Sercel
UNITE cable-free channels and autonomous seismic source technology during the two-part survey which was due to start in January and end in
August this year. CGG’s Bangkok imaging centre
will process the land seismic data as part of the
integrated service CGG is offering InterOil.

Dolphin wins
Myanmar
contract

O

phir Energy has awarded Dolphin Geophysical a contract for
3D data acquisition and processing of 10,000 km2 offshore Myanmar.
The work was due to begin in Q1 with a
vessel already located in the region.
Atle Jacobsen, Dolphin CEO, said: ‘This
large seismic contract award adds to our
backlog of powerful solutions projects,
where Dolphin’s cost-efficient wide-tow
configuration is the preferred acquisition
solution selected by one of our large repeat customers.’